Small
Recent trends in contemporary art have meant that we've grown accustomed to large scale pieces, be that huge canvases, enormous sculptures, or giant installations.
However, the miniature has always been an important part of contemporary art. Be it paintings, sculpture, or photography as well as small format drawings, the reduced dimensions of the artwork puts new constraints on the artist, forcing them to develop their techniques and artistic finesse.
Jeff Wall, an American photographer known for his large scale photographic prints on huge illuminated boxes, has said that “the scale of a piece is not about the dimensions of it, but about the internal tensions within the composition".
Believe it or not, miniature pieces have many advantages. Smaller formats allow the artists to show off a different range of talents and techniques, and sometimes even create the impression of a much higher quality piece – such as engravings or prints. Creating a miniature is a sure sign of precision and skill.
They are also more practical to exhibit than the enormous artworks: we've all got a little space on a shelf ready to welcome a miniature sculpture, photo or drawing.
Another very practical aspect of miniatures is the myriad possibilities for display: you could put together a full shelf of statuettes, or even a dedicated framing wall – which is an increasingly popular method for display, and makes for the perfect decorative addition to a living room or bedroom. It's a mixed composition made up of an array of pieces – you guessed it – all on the same wall. The diminutive size of the miniatures also makes it easier to make sure your favourite pieces are displayed in pride of place.
Even artists who are known for their monumental works are slowly getting into miniatures, like Jeff Wall in his exhibition at the Cartier Foundation.
The miniature is making a big name for itself as a growing trend across the contemporary art world; from Gaspard Mitz, who creates tiny versions of the interiors of famous art galleries in his 'Box Stories', to the photography of Samsofy, who recreates scenes from daily life with miniscule Lego 'actors'.
Last but not least, the small scale of the pieces means that even big names come with small price tags, meaning that miniatures make excellent presents. So, go on, what are you waiting for? Browse our selection of miniature works now…
price,501:1000
facet,10503*Oeuvres d’artistes best sellers|icon-bestsellers*bestsellers
facet,10503*Artworks by best-selling artists|icon-bestsellers*bestsellers
facet,10503*Werke von Bestseller-Künstlern|icon-bestsellers*werke-von-kunstlern-bestseller
facet,10503*Obras de los artistas más vendidos|icon-bestsellers*obras-de-los-artistas-mas-vendidos
facet,10503*Œuvres d’artistes best sellers|icon-bestsellers*bestsellers
price,1001:5000
category,6*Painting*painting
category,6*Gemälde*gemalde
category,6*Peinture*peinture
category,6*Pintura*pintura
facet,10500*Oeuvres d'artistes émergents|icon-youngtalents*jeunes-talents
facet,10500*Young Talents|icon-youngtalents*youngtalents
facet,10500*Werke aufstrebender Künstler|icon-youngtalents*werke-von-jungen-kunstlern
facet,10500*Obras de artistas emergentes|icon-youngtalents*obras-de-artistas-emergentes
price,5001:10000
price,500
facet,8259*Nos recommandations|icon-recommendations*recommandations
facet,8259*Our recommendations|icon-recommendations*recommendations
facet,8259*unsere Empfehlungen|icon-recommendations*unsere-empfehlungen
facet,8259*Nuestras recomendaciones|icon-recommendations*nuestras-recomendaciones
facet,10497*Artworks by famous artists|icon-masterpieces*masterpieces
facet,10497*Oeuvres d'artistes célèbres|icon-masterpieces*artistes-celebres
facet,10497*Werke berühmter Künstler|icon-masterpieces*werke-beruhmter-kunstler
facet,10497*Obras de artistas famosos|icon-masterpieces*obras-de-artistas-famosos
facet,11991*Grands Maitres|icon-masterartists*grands-maitres
facet,11991*Master Artists|icon-masterartists*masterartists
facet,11991*Große Meister|icon-masterartists*grosse-meister
facet,11991*Maestros artistas|icon-masterartists*maestros-artistas
facet,1629*abstrakt*abstrakt
facet,1629*Abstraite*abstraite
facet,1629*abstracto*abstracto
facet,1629*Abstract*abstract
category,5*Sculpture*sculpture
category,5*Skulpturen*skulptur
category,5*Escultura*escultura
facet,11997*Neue bemerkenswerte Künstler|icon-new-remarquable-artists*neue-bemerkenswerte-kunstler
facet,11997*Nouveaux artistes à découvrir|icon-new-remarquable-artists*nouveaux-artistes-a-decouvrir
facet,11997*New \u0026 remarkable Artists|icon-new-remarquable-artists*new-remarquable-artists
facet,11997*Artistas nuevos y destacados|icon-new-remarquable-artists*artistas-nuevos-y-destacados
facet,8274*Moyen (\u003c 115 x 115 cm)|medium*moyen
facet,1635*Street art*street-art
facet,1635*Straßenkunst*street-art
facet,1635*arte callejero*arte-callejero
category,9*Photographie*photographie
category,9*Fotografía*fotografia
category,9*Fotografien*fotografie
category,9*Photography*photography
facet,8277*Grand (\u003c 200 x 200 cm)|large*grand
facet,1686*Pop Art*pop-art
facet,1686*Pop-Art*pop-art
facet,1686*Arte pop*arte-pop
facet,8277*Large (\u003c 200 x 200 cm)|large*large
facet,8277*Large (\u003c 80 x 80 inch)|large*large
facet,1671*Landscape*nature
facet,1671*Natur*natur
facet,1671*Paysage*nature
facet,1671*Naturaleza*naturaleza
facet,8301*Special Offers|icon-promotions*vergunstigte-werke
facet,8301*Special offers|icon-promotions*promotions
facet,8301*Oeuvres en promotion|icon-promotions*promotions
facet,8301*Trabajos en promoción|icon-promotions*trabajos-en-promocion
facet,1644*Porträt*portrat
facet,1644*Portrait*portrait
facet,1644*Retrato*retrato
category,23*Dessin*dessin
category,23*Fine Art Drawings*drawing
category,23*Zeichnungen*zeichnung
category,23*Dibujo*dibujo
facet,1641*Nude*nude
facet,1641*Akt*akte
facet,1641*Nus*nus
facet,1641*desnudos*desnudos
category,15*Edition*edition
category,15*Drucke*editionen
category,15*Print*print
category,15*Edición*edicion
facet,11697*Figuratif*figuratif
facet,11697*Figurativ*figurativ
facet,11697*Figurative*figurative
facet,11697*Figurativo*figurativo
facet,1830*Landscape|landscape*orientation-landscape
facet,1830*Paysage|landscape*orientation-paysage
facet,1830*Landschaft|landscape*orientation-landschaft
facet,1830*Paisaje|landscape*orientation-paisaje
facet,8274*Medium (\u003c 45 x 45 inch)|medium*medium
facet,8274*Medium (\u003c 115 x 115 cm)|medium*medium
facet,1827*Hochformat|portrait*orientation-portrat
facet,1827*Portrait|portrait*orientation-portrait
facet,1827*Retrato|portrait*orientation-retrato
facet,8280*Très grand (\u003e 200 x 200 cm)|very-large*tres-grand
facet,8280*Très grand (\u003e 80 x 80 inch)|very-large*tres-grand
facet,1680*Animaux*animaux
facet,1680*Animal*animal
facet,1680*Tiere*tiere
facet,1680*Animales*animales
facet,1674*Scène de vie*scene-de-vie
facet,1674*Everyday life*everyday-life
facet,1674*Alltagsszenen*alltagsszenen
facet,1674*Escena de la vida*escena-de-la-vida
category,24*Design*design
category,24*Diseño*diseno
facet,8271*Petit (\u003c 50 x 50 cm)|small*petit
price,1000:501
facet,1659*Flore*flore
facet,1659*Floral*floral
facet,1659*Flores*flores
facet,1659*Flora*flora
facet,1668*Noir et blanc*noir-et-blanc
facet,1668*Black and white*black-and-white
facet,1668*Schwarz und weiß*schwarz-und-weiss
facet,1668*Blanco y negro*blanco-y-negro
price,50001
facet,12220*Artistes Français*artistes-francais
facet,12220*French artists*french-artists
facet,12220*Französisch Künstler*franzosisch-kunstler
facet,12220*Artistas franceses*artistas-franceses
facet,11634*Pop culture Street-artistes*pop-culture-street-artistes
facet,11634*Popkultur Straßenkünstler*popkultur-strassenkunstler
facet,11634*Pop Culture Street Artists*pop-culture-street-artists
facet,11634*Cultura pop Street-artistas*cultura-pop-street-artistas
facet,1632*Architecture*architecture
facet,1632*Die Architektur*die-architektur
facet,1632*Arquitectura*arquitectura
facet,8280*Very large (\u003e 200 x 200 cm)|very-large*very-large
facet,8280*Very large (\u003e 80 x 80 inch)|very-large*very-large
facet,108*huile*huile
facet,108*al oleo*al-oleo
facet,108*Öl*ol
facet,108*oil*oil
facet,1650*Paysage urbain*paysage-urbain
facet,1650*Urban Landscape*urban-landscape
facet,1650*Städtische Landschaft*stadtische-landschaft
facet,1650*Paisaje urbano*paisaje-urbano
facet,1692*Géométrique*geometrique
facet,1692*Geometric*geometric
facet,1692*Geometrisch*geometrisch
facet,1692*Geometría*geometria
facet,126*acrylique*acrylique
facet,126*Acryl-*acryl
facet,126*acrylic*acrylic
facet,126*acrílico*acrilico
Salvador Dali
Cosmos Conquest / Conquête du Cosmos, 1974
10.3 x 7.9 x 0.3 inch
Sculpture
$8,530 $7,677
Reda Amalou
Ceci n'est pas un vase, Bronze et feuille d'or, 2013
17.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch
Design
$1,598
Paula Mitsue Corrales Kido
Crin Weaving Lamp-White Crin Lamp, 2018
12.4 x 12.4 x 12.2 inch
Design
$2,073
Julian Opie
Long Hair (from the Boston Statuettes series), 2020
20 x 7 x 4.75 inch
Sculpture
$12,000
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